Co-sleeping safely (??) with newborn who "smooshes" up against me

10-05-2011, 12:00 AM

Hello-

I hope you can offer some advice. My 2nd daughter is 2 weeks old. We didn't co-sleep with our 1st daughter, but I'm trying it this time around because she sleeps **so** much better next to me instead of in her crib. I've covered all the obvious safety issues: She sleeps between me and the edge of the bed (not between me & hubby), and I've put up a bedrail so she can't roll out. She doesn't come near the pillow or big fluffy blankets, and the most I'll cover her is the sheet up to her tummy. I lay her down on her back. I haven't even been sleeping with a shirt on, since I don't want the extra fabric to cover her face when I'm not noticing. Nobody in the family smokes, and I'm not so overweight that it should be an issue here.

I've still got a big concern, though, which I hope someone reading this can address: Even though she starts out lying on her back next to me, She likes to roll towards me and sleep on her side facing me in full-body contact, with her face (and nose) smashed up against me. Since I'm bigger than her, she ends up rolling downhill a bit into the valley made by my body weight. She sleeps like an absolute charm in this position, but I'm worried that she'll suffocate at some point since she ends up so completely nuzzled into me. If I try to back up a bit and provide space between us, she'll somehow inch towards me in the bed until she's back into her side-lying full-body-snuggle position. When we wake up in the morning, I've moved about 12-18 inches away from her starting position, but she's right there next to me anyway, laying on her side, face smashed into my arm or chest. Don't even ask me how a 2-week old can wriggle across the bed, but she's doing it somehow! I've tried using foam positioning wedges to keep her in position, but she hates it. From her reaction, she might as well be in the crib in her room down the hall, not separated from me by a measly 2 inches.

So, what's your opinion? Should we stop co-sleeping for safety's sake, or is there something mystical that happens when we're both asleep that will keep her from smothering herself? Will she outgrow this preference for face-smashing sleep? Is it not a problem once she gets strong enough to control her own head & neck?